Women Unite to Celebrate International Women’s Day
Over 300 guests today joined FCM Travel Solutions in Melbourne to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of females for International Women’s Day.
“Our company boasts a workforce that is approximately 75% female and we are committed to supporting female development within our organisations and across industries,” Melissa Elf, General Manager of FCM Australia said.
“For FCM and the broader Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), there is a lot of work underway to strengthen our support networks, career development and mentoring opportunities to help women achieve their goals.”
Melissa is part of a growing group of senior females leaders across FCTG, where there is a concerted effort to encourage more women to apply for leadership roles, to connect with and learn from mentors and to upskill.
“Women across industries can actively support each other by creating networks with their customers, industry partners and within our own businesses to ensure we are equally represented and heard,” Melissa said. “We were delighted to have so many of our customers join us today to celebrate our collective achievements.”
"We are proud to offer female employees access to initiatives including Womenwise – to champion gender diversity and equality, flexible working conditions, unconscious bias training, equal gender representation for all senior leadership interview panels, a financial literacy program and the FCTG Parental Allowance," Melissa said.
Today’s International Women’s Day event was another opportunity for women to network and hear from a number of inspirational speakers. Guests were also introduced to one of FCTG’s not-for-profit partners SolarBuddy.
“The spectacular glass Aviary at Crown Hotel was the backdrop for the event, with all funds raised going to support SolarBuddy,” Julie McLean, FCM’s Director of Global Enterprise Sales Strategy, said. As the M.C for the event, Julie introduced the guest speakers, including coach and mentor Donny Walford and Billie Murphy from SolarBuddy.
Donny Walford, the founder of Behind Closed Doors and Bottom Line, specialises in professional development, peer coaching and mentoring. Donny knows what it takes for women to attain greater professional and personal success and shared the key insights to her success.
Billie Murphy, SolarBuddy General Manager of Education, discussed energy poverty and the fact that an estimated 18% of the world’s population has no access to electricity. FCTG has been supporting SolarBuddy for a number of years and it’s a cause that is particularly relevant on International Women’s Day, as according to SolarBuddy it’s women and children who were mostly impacted by energy poverty. As part of the day, attendees helped to build a SolarBuddy kit.
“Our event today was a mix of inspiring presentations, great networking opportunities, a heartwarming group activity and importantly, a time for guests to reflect on how far women have come when it comes to gender parity in the workforce and broader community, and what we have all achieved,” Julie said.
“It was an amazing opportunity to celebrate the cause with our customers, colleagues and industry partners. Additionally, I’d also like to thank our International Women’s Day major sponsors Crown Hotels and Virgin Australia, with Virgin providing our major prize. All funds raised are going to SolarBuddy.”
"We are proud to offer female employees access to initiatives including Womenwise – to champion gender diversity and equality, flexible working conditions, unconscious bias training, equal gender representation for all senior leadership interview panels, a financial literacy program and the FCTG Parental Allowance."
MELISSA ELF
General Manager FCM Travel Solutions Australia